From the atlas
Domaines Pierre-Marie Chermette
At A Glance
Domaines Pierre-Marie Chermette is a French Bourgogne producer whose documented wines are both 100% Gamay, the grape at the centre of Beaujolais. Fleurie Poncié comes from 40-year-old vines on pink granite and spends months in old oak foudres. Beaujolais Nouveau Les Griottes takes a shorter route through concrete tanks and is made for fresh, seasonal drinking.
The two bottles show how one grape can move from floral, silky and developed to juicy, immediate and bright. Their different labels and cellar timings are part of the wine itself.
The Producer
Jean-Etienne Chermette joined the domaine in 2017 and took over from Martine and Pierre-Marie Chermette in February 2023. The handover connects a new generation with a range already defined by two distinct Gamay wines.
Fleurie Poncié is the more extended wine, built around older vines, a longer whole-bunch maceration and ageing in old oak tuns. Les Griottes belongs to the Beaujolais Nouveau release cycle, with five days of maceration and a drinking window that begins on the third Thursday in November. Both bottles keep Gamay at the centre, but they ask for different occasions and different expectations from the glass.
Place
Fleurie Poncié carries the AOC Fleurie appellation, a Beaujolais cru associated here with a floral, silky style. Les Griottes carries the Beaujolais Nouveau name, which places it inside a fixed annual release cycle and signals a wine intended to be enjoyed young.
The label therefore tells part of the story before the cork comes out. Fleurie Poncié is the bottle to follow through vineyard age, maceration and élevage. Les Griottes is the quick, seasonal expression, released from the third Thursday in November and at its best within six months.
Soil And Site
Fleurie Poncié grows on pink granitic soil carrying mica and quartz, with 40-year-old vines rooted in that mineral ground. The site is tied to the wine's documented floral profile: rose, peony and violet rise above red fruit, while silky tannins keep the palate supple.
The combination of Gamay, pink granite and older vines gives Fleurie Poncié a clear shape in the range. Its perfume arrives first, then the tannins carry the wine through a longer, more seasoned finish.
Story
Jean-Etienne Chermette entered the domaine in 2017, while Martine and Pierre-Marie Chermette were still responsible for the estate. Six years later, in February 2023, he took over from them. The change is concrete, but the documented record does not assign him a new vineyard method, cellar program or altered cuvée style.
The wines remain the clearest way to understand the estate's present range. Fleurie Poncié continues to connect Gamay with 40-year-old vines, pink granite, extended maceration and old oak foudres. Les Griottes continues to move at the pace of Beaujolais Nouveau, with a short maceration and immediate fruit.
Vineyards And Cellar
Fleurie Poncié uses whole bunches in a half-carbonic maceration lasting 10 to 12 days. The concrete vats receive two pump-overs each day, and indigenous yeasts carry the fermentation. The longer contact allows perfume, colour and tannin to build before the wine spends 6 to 8 months in old oak foudres.
Les Griottes uses the same broad Beaujolais maceration family, but for only five days in concrete tanks. There is no chaptalization or added yeast, and the wine receives minimal sulphur dioxide. The shorter cellar path preserves a supple, juicy texture and fresh small red fruit, while the skin tannins remain visible at the finish.
Wines
Fleurie Poncié is the range's floral cru wine. It is 100% Gamay from 40-year-old vines, with rose, peony and violet on the nose, silky tannins through the palate, red fruit at the core, toast and undergrowth in the middle, and a peppery close. The old foudre ageing supports a broader, more settled shape without replacing the perfume of the grape and site.
Beaujolais Nouveau Les Griottes is the early-drinking bottle. Its five-day maceration keeps the wine supple and direct, with fresh small red fruit, blackberry, cherry and raspberry. Its palate is juicy, smooth and fleshy, and the finish carries skin tannins. The release date is part of its range role: it is made to arrive in November, then to be enjoyed within six months.
Together, the wines offer two speeds of Gamay. Fleurie Poncié asks for attention to floral aroma, tannin and the savoury notes that appear with longer ageing. Les Griottes puts freshness, easy movement and seasonal fruit first.
In The Glass
Fleurie Poncié begins with delicate floral aromas, moving from rose to peony and violet. Red fruit follows on the palate, where silky tannins make the wine supple instead of hard. Toast and undergrowth add savoury depth through the middle, and the finish turns peppery as the granitic, whole-bunch expression gathers length.
Les Griottes opens with violet and tangy small red fruit. In the mouth, blackberry, cherry and raspberry make the wine juicy, smooth and fleshy. The shorter half-carbonic maceration keeps the fruit forward, while skin tannins give the finish a gentle grip and persistence.
A Bottle To Understand It
Start with Fleurie Poncié. It is the bottle that connects the producer's clearest documented choices: 100% Gamay, 40-year-old vines on pink granite with mica and quartz, whole-bunch half-carbonic maceration in concrete, and 6 to 8 months in old oak foudres.
In the glass, rose, peony and violet lead into red fruit, silky tannins, toast, undergrowth and a peppery finish. The wine has enough perfume to show Fleurie's character and enough tannin and cellar time to show how the estate treats a cru wine. Les Griottes is the more immediate second step, but Fleurie Poncié gives the fuller view of place, grape and method in one bottle.
Anecdote
In 2017, Jean-Etienne Chermette joined the domaine. Martine and Pierre-Marie Chermette remained in charge while he worked inside the estate, and the arrangement continued for six years. In February 2023, Jean-Etienne took over from them. The handover marked a clear change in responsibility, from the couple who had been running the domaine to the person who had joined it in 2017 and stayed through the transition. The succession date was February 2023.
Final Word
Domaines Pierre-Marie Chermette is a two-speed Gamay address. Fleurie Poncié brings pink granite, older vines, floral perfume, silky tannins and time in old oak. Les Griottes brings a five-day maceration, fresh fruit and a seasonal November release. Begin with Fleurie Poncié for the longer story, then taste Les Griottes for the quick, juicy side of the same grape.
Sources
- https://www.chermette.fr/en/
- https://www.chermette.fr/en/wines/fleurie-poncie-v7.php
- https://www.chermette.fr/en/wines/fleurie-poncie-pierre-marie-chermette-v7.php
- https://www.chermette.fr/en/wines/beaujolais-nouveau-les-griottes-pierre-marie-chermette-v9.php
- https://weygandtmetzler.com/prod-focus-v201.php?producer=chermette